Wolf: Obama Afghanistan 2014 pull-out talk 'nonsensical'

A Republican Congressman is complaining to President Barack Obama that his recent campaign-trail comments about a U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan by 2014 are "nonsensical" and could embolden enemy forces in Afghanistan.

"We’ve seen you mention Afghanistan only when it is politically convenient to do so—and in a manner which is detrimental to those troops on the ground. On Sunday, you said, 'We are bringing our troops home from Afghanistan. And I've set a timetable. We will have them all out of there by 2014,'" Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) wrote in a letter to Obama on Wednesday.

"This approach is nonsensical. Would President Roosevelt, prior to D-Day, announce that U.S. troops will be leaving Europe by a date certain? Surely, this would have emboldened Hitler and the Nazi troops at a pivotal juncture, much in the same way that the Taliban could reasonably determine that they simply need to bide their time and hold on a bit longer," wrote Wolf, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Obama aides denied that his statements in two speeches over the weekend, which appeared to promise a full pull-out by the end of 2014, represented any change to the administration's longstanding policy. The strategy adopted by NATO in 2011 calls for Afghan forces to be in control of security in all provinces by 2014, but for some U.S. and likely NATO forces to stay on to mount counterterrorism operations and train Afghan troops. The size of that follow-on force is to be negotiated between the Afghan and U.S. Governments under the terms of a pact Obama signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in May.

In his speeches since the weekend, Obama dropped the language about having U.S. troops out or "all out" by 2014. He returned to earlier formulations about winding down the war by 2014 or completing a "transition" by then.

Obama advisers have defended setting the 2014 date for a "transition" as appropriate to keep pressure on to improve Afghan capabilities.

In the letter (posted here), Wolf pleaded with Obama to set up an independent panel to review U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Wolf proposed a similar effort regarding Iraq, which led to the Iraq Study Group convened in 2006. Wolf said the White House has resisted an independent policy review in Afghanistan, even though Congress has funded and authorized it.

The White House conducted a major review of Afghanistan policy in late 2009 and has done a smaller annual review since.

Wolf said in his letter that while he favors an outside policy review, he's not pushing for any particular approach. "I am not advocating for a particular strategy in Afghanistan, for certain troop levels or a long-term presence," he wrote.

A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wolf's letter.